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Residential Heating System Upgrade Towards a Net-Zero Energy Building: A Case Study in California
Full text linkAs global environmental concerns escalate, achieving net-zero energy buildings and advancing decarbonization efforts have become critical strategies for fostering sustainable urban development. The selection of a heating system in a building is crucial in reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. While fossil-fueled heating systems such as furnaces are still in consumer demand, there are alternative options like heat pumps that can support sustainability goals. This paper presents a case study of a residential building in the Bay Area of California, United States, with a resistant heating system that was renovated with a central heating system and a solar system to achieve the net-zero energy goal. The heating system ran in furnace mode during the first heating season while it was in heat pump mode in the following two heating seasons. The energy consumption in the building and subsequent CO2 emissions were compared for these two heating systems based on the metering data. The results show that the heat pump consumed up to 25.5% less energy and emitted up to 22.3% less CO₂ than the furnace. The data also proved that the project could achieve its net-zero energy goal. This study aims to encourage homeowners, designers, and contractors to consider sustainable building system options that result in less CO2 emissions with potential savings in energy consumption by providing a real-world example in the residential building sector
Enhancing Sustainable, Safe, and Efficient Construction Practices: A Systematic Review of Advanced Interface Techniques for Heavy Machinery Guidance
No full textEffective heavy machinery operation is crucial for enhancing operational efficiency and sustainability in construction, particularly by enabling precise resource utilization and reducing environmental impact. Digital advancements, including improved operator-system interfaces, play a critical role in achieving these outcomes by supporting informed decision-making while minimizing cognitive overload and operator distraction. However, selecting the most appropriate interface tool for heavy machinery remains a challenge due to the diverse operational requirements and varying impacts of available technologies. This study explores the effectiveness of interface tools in heavy machinery guidance systems through a systematic literature review. It identifies and categorizes tools such as conventional in-cabin screens, augmented reality (AR) displays, and head-mounted displays based on their ability to optimize operational efficiency, enhance situational awareness, and improve safety. Our findings highlight the prevalent use of in-cabin screens due to their simplicity, alongside emerging technologies like AR, which demonstrate potential for improving operator-machine interaction and task precision. To address the challenge of selecting suitable interfaces, this study provides insights into their performance across construction scenarios, emphasizing how interface selection can mitigate operational inefficiencies and support sustainable practices. The analysis also underscores critical gaps, particularly in evaluating the long-term sustainability impacts of advanced interfaces, and calls for empirical research to validate their real-world contributions. These findings aim to guide the development of interface solutions that enhance productivity, safety, and sustainability, aligning construction practices with evolving technological and environmental demands
Sidewalk Pavement Defect Detection with Instance Segmentation: A Step Towards Improving Sidewalk Quality
Full text linkMaking cities walkable and supportive of non-motorized transportation enhances sustainability and inclusivity. Sidewalks, the primary infrastructure in direct contact with pedestrians to support their daily travel needs, deteriorate and develop faults with time and continuous use. However, manual and commonly available non-destructive inspections often are slow, labor-intensive, and cost-inhibitive. This study proposes a quick and cheap method using instance segmentation techniques to detect sidewalk pavement surface defects automatically. The proposed methods are two instance innovative approaches to train the Mask R-CNN (MRCNN) instance segmentation model to identify and provide the respective boundaries of each defect. The first and most reliable of the two is integrating the Simple Copy-Paste Augmentation mechanism for training the MRCNN model. The second mechanism is training via the Cascade method. The results demonstrate the ability of instance segmentation to give sidewalk pavement management teams sufficient information regarding the location, shape, size, and type of damage to make the necessary rehabilitation decision. Inspection can be quick, remote, and frequented, enhancing the sidewalk pavement\u27s resilience and serviceability
Role of Urban and Rural Communities in Sustainable Built Environment
Full text linkWith 8.1 billion people on the planet, currently about 60% live in urban centers and 40% live in rural settings. However, due to a clear disparity in living standards and also perhaps the availability of resources generally, as predicted by the United Nations, the urban population is increasing to reach 68% by 2050. This increasing trend of urbanisation is further escalated due to the traditional way of perceiving the urban-rural divide and worldwide efforts towards closing the gap. Demand for housing and infrastructure resulting from the rapid urbanization not only adds to the current carbon footprints but also hinders necessary innovations for sustainable development.
Countering the current practices of traditional development models and rapid urbanisations for closing the urban-rural gap, the smart villages research program at the University of Melbourne offers an evidence-based alternative by promoting urban-rural share and context-specific development. Rather than extending the traditional brick & mortar-based development practices in the urbanization spree, value-based and purpose-built development of smart villages provides a significant new opportunity for innovative development and upgrading of the 40% rural community globally. While the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) are at the core of the smart villages development, this paper highlights how the data-driven context-specific planning and execution of the SDGs support rural communities to take control of their localised development and steer towards establishing resilient societies with clear distinctions in the rural lifestyle. Setting a clear point of departure, this paper demonstrates with conviction the unique roles and responsibilities of the urban-rural communities in shaping the sustainable built environment and contributing to the global war against climate change and global temperature rise
Health and Safety Perceptions of Construction Workers in Denmark
Full text linkConstruction is among the most hazardous industries, with risk factors existing on multiple levels, ranging from individual to organizational issues. Ensuring a healthy and safe workplace is crucial for worker performance and job satisfaction and is also highlighted in the United Nations\u27 Sustainable Development Goals. This study involved a national survey among construction workers in Denmark conducted in 2023. The study aimed to address two primary research questions: 1) the number of years of industry experience and 2) the size of projects influence workers\u27 perceptions of Health and Safety (H&S). The research design involved six steps: 1. Theoretical framework, 2. Survey design, 3. Pilot test, 4. Data collection, 5. Data cleaning, and 6. Data analysis. Previous studies on H&S perceptions have often been limited by small sample sizes and varying definitions of project size. This study’s robust sample of 2,176 valid responses allows for more generalizable conclusions. The analysis showed that less experienced workers reported more frequent encounters with several H&S issues, whereas project size had a marginal impact. Contrarily, correlation analysis indicated stronger relationships (Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC) = 0.18, 0.20, and 0.25) between project size and perceptions of H&S practices than between experience and H&S perceptions (PCC = 0.12, 0.16, and 0.17). The findings highlight the importance of tailored safety training, particularly for less experienced workers, and suggest that larger projects may have better-established safety practices, emphasizing the need for consistent safety management, especially on smaller-scale projects
Integrating Circular Economy Principles in Construction: Comparing Product Data Templates, Material Passports, and Other Digital Tools
Full text linkThe construction industry is increasingly adopting Circular Economy (CE) principles to transition from traditional linear processes to sustainable practices such as recycling, reusing, and remanufacturing. Digital tools like Building Information Modeling (BIM), digital twins (DTs), and material passports (MPs) have emerged as key enablers, offering innovative solutions for lifecycle management and resource optimization. This paper presents a systematic review of 21 studies to explore how these technologies integrate with CE principles in construction workflows. Using a structured methodology involving keyword-based searches and thematic analysis, nine initial themes were refined into four overarching categories: product data management in BIM, CE strategies, BIM-prefabrication synergies, and digital tools for deconstruction. The findings highlight significant advancements in managing construction data, fostering modular construction, and enabling real-time decision-making, while also revealing persistent barriers such as interoperability issues, lack of standardized frameworks, and insufficient stakeholder collaboration. By addressing research gaps such as unified data standards and integration challenges, the study offers actionable insights for practitioners and policymakers. It concludes by emphasizing the need for policy-driven initiatives, enhanced technology adoption, and cross-sector collaboration to overcome barriers and achieve scalable, sustainable solutions for the construction industry
Investigating Heart Rate Responses to Different Speaking Behaviours under Different Thermal Sensations
Full text linkThis study examines the effects of different speaking behaviors—Silent, Speech, and Conversation—on heart rate (HR) under varying thermal sensation (TS) levels. The research investigates how HR responds to the interaction of behaviors and thermal conditions, using statistical analyses and polynomial regression to identify trends and patterns. The results show distinct HR responses across the three behaviors, with Silent exhibiting the most stable and consistent patterns, Speech showing the highest variability, and Conversation displaying intermediate responses. These findings highlight the dynamic interplay between speaking behaviors and thermal environments, demonstrating that behaviors like Speech and Conversation can influence physiological responses differently depending on thermal conditions. This study underscores the importance of distinguishing between speaking behaviors when analyzing physiological responses in thermal environments. By identifying behavior-specific patterns, the research provides valuable insights for fields such as thermal comfort, environmental ergonomics, and human physiology
Industry Perspective on Prioritising Construction Tasks for Digitalisation and Grass Root Demand Analysis of Technologies
Full text linkConstruction is the second least digitalised sector globally, negatively affecting performance and productivity. In NSW, Australia the sector is dominated by micro-SMEs, which exacerbates digital adoption. Thus, there is a critical need for an effective mechanism to initiate this transition. This research aims to (a) evaluate the industry perspective on the prioritisation of construction tasks for digitalisation and (b) analyse grassroots demand for digital technologies. To fulfil the first objective, a questionnaire survey was conducted at a roundtable event with 72 industry participants and academics from various disciplines, resulting in 30 responses and a response rate of 42%. The questionnaire included 39 key tasks from the planning to commissioning phases of construction projects. Respondents were requested to rank these tasks on a scale of 1 to 5 based on the importance of digitalisation, where 1 denotes the least important and 5 denotes the most important. Further, respondents were asked to mention the software they predominantly use to accomplish the above-mentioned construction task in their job role to fulfil the second objective. The survey findings indicate that the construction tasks in the design phase of a construction project should be prioritised for digitalisation. Among the 39 key tasks, project estimating and budgeting, developing technical designs, tendering, document management, and monitoring building performance were identified as top priorities for digitalisation. In terms of technologies, cloud computing, BIM and AI are identified as trending technologies. The study\u27s findings will be used to develop a digitalisation policy framework for the construction industry in NSW, Australia
Sustainability in Valuation: Emerging AI-Driven Real Estate Approaches
No full textIn response to evolving sustainability regulations, this study addresses the need to quantify sustainability within real estate valuations. Traditional Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) models face limitations in capturing the full impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, resulting in undervaluation of sustainable assets. The proposed solution shows the evolution of the DCF model into a meta-instrument for the real estate life cycle integrating sustainability and digitalization. The future proof DCF framework introduces seven key new tech approaches driven by emerging AI and established Building Information Modeling: dynamic cash flow and discount rate adjustments, predictive sustainability analytics, scenario modeling, advanced sensitivity analysis, automated ESG data integration and transparency. These emerging approaches offer a granular, forward-looking valuation method that better reflects the financial benefits of sustainability across the real estate life cycle. The model provides a transparent tool for investors and property managers, aligning valuations with regulatory standards and supporting informed, sustainable investment decisions. By merging advanced digital technologies with traditional valuation methods, this study challenges established property valuation tools, offering an adaptive, accurate, dynamic, and data-driven approach that meets the demands of an evolving real estate development market
Skills for Success as a Frontline Supervisor: Focus Group Results
Full text linkFrontline supervisors (FLS), commonly referred to as foreman/person, play a critical role in the construction industry; they direct craft laborers and oversee production at the workface. They are generally responsible for ensuring that specific construction scopes are completed on time, safely, and with appropriate quality. For the purposes of this paper, a FLS is defined as, “a person that is competent in their trade and leads a team of craft personnel and directs them in their day-to-day activities.” This paper elucidates the key skills and experience required for success in this position based on a thematic analysis of 15 job postings provided by a focus group of five people who understood this definition. Analysis indicates that more than 60% of the postings required job-specific experience and construction knowledge, while about half of the postings required the soft skills of leadership and communication. These insights contribute to the workforce development and construction management bodies of knowledge by explicitly documenting the skills and experience required for success in this rarely discussed role. Based on these findings, construction organizations can self-assess whether they are seeking appropriate skills when advertising FLS positions. Educators can also use these findings to ensure their offerings yield marketability as an FLS